Series B Startup

 Data analytics   Geo-spatial tools   Scenario forecasting   UX strategy   Design System 

There was high technical value but slow progress on re-usability, scaling and growth
+
A fast-paced schedule, tight deadlines and under resourced; growing teams led to inconsistencies and compromised usability

Transform custom data-analytics deliverables into scalable platform-as-product using project work driven by multiple customer engagements. Work was tightly schedules and the company was scaling. Without an defined product structure there was a gap between on the ground sprint work and broad company goals so it was hard for anyone to know if and how their work should fit into the bigger picture.

ACTION
Use user journey mapping to identify archetypal UX modules. Define framework structure around UX modules. Build framework via priotized project work. Get a PM assigned to "the framework" to help wrangle backlogs towards goals. Introduce a design system to help consistent UIUX across teams and make design work as efficient as possible.

• Framework approach broadly embraced • Boosted alignment; help provide a shared vision • Increased efficiency • Improved consistency, improved usability

Top ranked mobile app | 30M MAU

 UX strategy techniques   Collaborative worksessions   Systemic change   User-centered design   Design system   Shared goals 

Work was aligned to company structure rather than the user's experience or business goals leading to growing tech debt and obscured priorities

Silo’d teams and lack of coordination at various levels meant: broken UX funnels, tech debt, functionality delayed, competing strategies and obscured priorities.

ACTION
Product review and one-on-one sessions across teams to assess situation. Once siloed thinking was identified as problematic take multiple steps to bring change. Collaborative work to nudge teams to see problems. Position problems as opportunities with leaders. Create shared resources and bring connection where there was isolation. Introduce UX strategty techniques to focus thinking on users rather than team and mend funnels.

• Collaboration instead of silos • Priorities became more clear • Improved efficiency • Planning & operations became easier • Improved UX funnels • Improved brand and UI consistency

Top ranked mobile app | 30M MAU

 Mobile   MVPs   UGC content   Virtual currency   In-app purchasing 
 Design system   Data driven optimization   A/B testing   B2C/B2B   0-to-1 

Build, test, learn, validate, optimize; bringing a new product line into a top mobile app and create supporting admin tools

Translate a concept to a new context with a new team. MVP bringing new content types and features of a new revenue stream to existing users without any negative impact and with no use of core product resources.

ACTION
Understand the user base; employ behavioral data. Guide work using existing concept overviews while allowing for new ideas with agile sprint process. Prototype testing for alignement and validation.

Provide coordination between teams and their respective backlogs (iOS/Android apps and admin tools)by working on both parts of the product. Design for modularity to limit dependencies (potential conflicts) in UI, UX and features. Retain best practices though under time pressures with guerilla/internal testing.

• Successful integration of validated new product line at no detriment to existing KPIs • Admin tool stayed on track and aligned with app and internal needs

Seed to Series A Startup

 Mobile   Unity 3D   App Builder CMS   Music player 
 Freemium techniques   B2C/B2B 

Changing technical constraints and changing business priorities

A B2B2C startup at early-stage launching multiple customized apps while building the customization tool. With changing priorities and limited resources, design work needed to balance flexibility and speed with validated stakes in the ground in order to also create foundational systems.

ACTION
Systematized as many steps of our service for MVP creators as possible e.g. do-it-yourself guides and a template asset exporter. Also, design files with symbols and styles that matched customization options so that comps could be created easily as per creator's customization choices. Creator/artist artwork was prioritized as much possible in the UI; we used a translucent UI to let the artwork brand the app look and feel and limit need for custom UI work.

• Sustained pace with aggressive scope and schedule • High KPI success • ARPU up to 17¢ • ARPPU over $2

fortune 500 company

 Design strategy   Design sprints   Cloud sync’ing   Cross-platform UX   Windows   iOS   Android   Web   Distributed teams 

A mismatch between design concept and technical architecture capabilities meant designs were largely unusable but multiple teams were already building and marketing had commited on value prop

Consultancy deliverables couldn't be built and were incomplete. Design concept and technical architecture misalignment but engineering resources were allocated and development was underway. Marketing communications had already begun. Five distributed design/dev teams needed coordination.

ACTION
Audit for mismatches in deliverables; identify unsupportable features; workshop replacement solutions guided by a User Journey map; prioritize design work for largest/fastest team (Android) and have teams translate UX & features to their platform.

• The project stayed on track • Teams continued to work • The launched product stayed close enough to early marketing promise • A coherent omni-platform UX was created